Gossamer by Renita Pizzitola Page A

weird. I stood in polite greeting. He took a few steps toward me, and I moved toward him.
    “Hey, Matt.”
    “Kylie, what are you doing here?” He spoke with urgency, glancing over his shoulder then back to me.
    “It’s my birthday, and I’m here with friends,” I explained, confused by his reaction.
    “Oh right. Happy Birthday, but um, why here?”
    I didn’t exactly know how to respond. I turned to my friends and began to introduce Matt.
    “Matt, this is Grant–” I pointed at Grant and before I could even finish the introduction he shot to his feet as did Conor. Lexie squealed, almost spilling her drink.
    “How do you know him?” Grant asked, his expression fierce. Completely taken aback, I stood speechless. He was okay with Bryce but this struck some psycho jealous nerve?
    “How did you find her? Who’s with you?” Grant’s eyes were narrowed as he scanned the area around us. Conor did the same.
    “Dammit Conor, I thought you secured the location.”
    “Whoa, it was safe when I checked.”
    “Wait guys.” I sensed a fight coming on. “This is just Matt. He’s a student in my dad’s class.”
    “That’s how you did it.” Grant glared at Matt. “Sneaky bastard,” he mumbled.
    “What is going on?” I asked annoyed. Lexie stood at my side.
    “This is the help your dad had Saturday?” Grant’s tone was accusatory, but I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me.
    I nodded still confused and beginning to become angry myself.
    “You son of a–” Grant advanced on Matt with his clenched fist.
    Matt stuck up his hands in a defensive gesture. “It’s just me here, I swear. They don’t know yet. It’s just me.”
    My gaze flicked back and forth between the guys. What in the world were they talking about?
    “You expect me to believe you haven’t told them yet,” Grant scoffed.
    “I know it’s hard to believe, but after lunch with Kylie–”
    “You’ve got to be kidding. Lunch?” Grant glowered at Conor. “Some watchdog you are.”
    “Hey, it is not my fault. He left no trail. Honestly.”
    “He’s right. I have been very careful, especially after I met Kylie. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell them. For the last forty-eight hours I’ve done nothing but try to figure a way out of this.” Matt ran his hands through his hair. “You’ve got to get her out of here.” His gaze danced around. “Just take her, somewhere far away. You never met me.” He paced. “I am so screwed.”
    Conor gathered our stuff. Lexie jumped in to help. Her eyes were wide and her movements clumsy. She seemed eager to get out of here.
    “Just go,” Matt yelled, then glanced around, realizing how loud he had just been. “Just go,” he said in a lower voice.
    “Why should I trust you? How do I know you don’t have them waiting back at her house?” Grant crossed him arms over his chest.
    “You have no reason to trust me, but I can tell you this, I met Kylie and spent time with her. I’m sure you know what I mean when I say I can’t hurt her.”
    Grant eyed Matt warily then looked at me. His eyes softened a tiny bit, he dropped his arms and nodded in agreement. Though Matt’s shoulders relaxed, he still seemed anxious for us to leave.
    “Just, please, get her out of here. I will be honest. I can’t keep it secret forever. The deadline is today, and I’m sure you can guess why. Just leave now and I will stall as best I can. I can try for twenty-four hours but I can’t guarantee more than that. You,” Matt spoke to Conor, “remember my scent. I will be with them. If you sense me, move fast. That’s the best I can do, and from here on out don’t trust me. You never know what kind of things they will put me up to.”
    Conor nodded. This was beyond weird. What were they talking about?
    “Kylie.” Matt focused on me. “I’m sorry.” My face scrunched. I had no idea what was going on. “You will understand soon. I didn’t want to ruin your birthday. I tried hard not to, but time’s